The Decline of Christianity in America:

Notes from an eight-session class — Part Seven of Eight

A Cannon Valley Elder Collegium course:
“Is The Decline of Christianity in America A Good Thing, Bad Thing, Neither or Both?” Led by Jan Linn.

The goal of this course is not to arrive at a definitive answer, but rather create a diversity of thought — These are my thoughts.

Week seven of eight: Does Christianity Need To be The Dominant American Religion?

Why Are Americans Losing Confidence in Organized Religion?

By Frank Newport, Ph.D., Gallup Senior Scientist, author of Polling Matters: Why Leaders Must Listen to the Wisdom of the People and God Is Alive and Well, July 16, 2019

The Gallup Poll revealed the following reasons why people are turning away from organized religion.

1. There is a general growing distrust of institutions, especially large institutions, of course, including the institution of “church”.
2. Sexual controversies: Most vividly , the nationally exposed Catholic priest and Southern Baptist sexual harassment and abuse scandals.
3. LGBTQ issues related to “same sex’ marriages, and ordination of gay or lesbian pastors.
4. Religion and politics — The last straw for many being, “the highly visible support of prominent evangelical leaders for President Donald Trump and his policies.
5. The trend of remaining single and not having children. Millennials are delaying marriage and having children. It is common for young people to not attend church services until more settled in family life.
6. Lack of honesty and ethics of church leadership. The quality of church leadership has declined. The most qualified men in particular, are turning away from ministry as a career, choosing more lucrative secular occupations instead. In other cases, like with many nondenominational churches, there is no or little requirement for formal pastoral education. So, the quality of church leadership is suffering. “Research in the business sphere has long led to the conclusion that ‘people leave managers, not companies,’ and the same conclusion may apply to organized religion. Maybe people are leaving ministers, not churches.”

Note: In my personal experience, as women ministers are moving into church leadership positions, and finding their own voices, things, in this regard, are improving.

1. Non-traditional spirituality: “…it’s possible that our measurement of confidence in organized religion only reflects a slice of confidence in ‘religion’ per se. We are seeing the continuing trend toward more ad hoc religious entities and ways of worshiping that eschew what is traditional. Thus, the drop-in confidence in “the church or organized religion” does not necessarily equate to a drop in confidence in religion.”

If the American church can embrace this future and reverse its shrinking membership, it will have experienced its own resurrection.

The course materials included two more references:

Predictions about the decline of Christianity in America may be premature, Analysis by John Blake, CNN

Modeling the Future of Religion in America (Pew Research Center, September 13, 2022)

These final two articles, in my opinion, do not add much to the discussion, however you can check them as you wish.

So fill up some space, I’d like to continue to ask the question, “What exactly does it mean to be a Christian — for real.” What I know is that Jesus did not intend to create an new religion. Certainly not that religion, that “Christianity,” which was hijacked by the Roman Empire and became an Imperial Church, with the sole purpose of controlling and oppressing people — exactly what Jesus was fighting against.

My heritage comes from Sweden (mostly) and Finland. A few weeks ago, while out walking my dog, I met a woman (and her dog) who happens to be a new immigrant from Sweden (her, not the dog). She and her husband (an American) met and married in Sweden and then he was transferred back here to Minnesota. So, our paths cross on the trail on occasion, and at one of these occasions, the topic of Religion came up.

But first some background. Sweden was “converted” to Catholicism by decree and then following the Reformation, “converted” to Lutheranism, again by decree. Lutheranism became the state religion, which was supported by taxes, and served, among other things, as the dispenser of welfare. Then in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Most of the more conservative Christians, emigrated to the US.

Anyway, this newly found Swedish friend stated, “Us Swedes never took Christianity vary seriously, and kept a lot of our pagan practices, like Midsomer.” Yet, from my experience in visiting Sweden, they are one of the most friendly and hospitable people I have experienced. Every time we stopped and looked the least bit puzzled, someone was there to ask if we needed assistance. One person even brought her purchased groceries back into the store so she could walk us to the train terminal. A secular country that seems to follow the “love your neighbor” wisdom teachings of Jesus. Go figure.

But it does make sense. Jesus was about ending the oppressiveness of hierarchy. During his time, the Jewish people were under the oppressive thumb of the High Priest, the Jewish King, and the Roman Emperor.

Sweden, during the 30-years war following the Reformation, developed a very efficient military by flattening the hierarchy. In fact, when in the field everyone was treated equally — ate the same food, same sleeping situation, from the rank of general on down the rank of private. This created greater cohesiveness. This was then reflected in the general population, forcing a decline in the power of the king, who, finally, in 1975, officially became only a figurehead, confined to ceremonial duties.

To demonstrate the “flattening” of the social structure, Sweden’s income disparity is one of the lowest, using the Gini Coefficient, 0.282, compared with the US at 0.39–0.00 being perfect distribution (everyone equal) and 1.00 would be all the wealth held by just one person. What is interesting though is that Sweden also has more billionaires per capita than anyone else, meaning there is more equity even among the wealthy class.

One large factor in Sweden’s culture of equity, I think, is the influence of Astrid Lindgren and especially her children’s book series about Pippi Longstocking:

“When discussing Pippi, Astrid Lindgren explained that ‘Pippi represents my own childish longing for a person who has power but does not abuse it.’ Although she is the self-proclaimed ‘strongest girl in the world’, Pippi often uses nonviolence to solve conflicts or protect other children from bullying. Pippi has been variously described by literary critics as ‘warm-hearted’,compassionate, kind, clever, generous, playful, and witty to the point of besting adult characters in conversation. Laura Hoffeld wrote that while Pippi’s ‘naturalness entails selfishness, ignorance, and a marked propensity to lie’, the character ‘is simultaneously generous, quick and wise, and true to herself and others.’” Reference Wikipedia

Pippi Longstocking books have now been translated into 100 different languages. I remember reading Pippi Longstocking books to my own two girls.

A second Astrid Lindgren work I am familiar with is Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter, featuring another strong willed girl, the daughter of the leader of a robber’s gang, Matt. Being Matt’s only child she was destined to take over the leadership — in the end she refused. In the process, the wealthy (the entitled), the robbers (the sinners) themselves, and the feared mythical forest creatures were all made to seem silly. It is not only a growing up story of Ronia and her friend Birk, the only son of Borka the rival chieftain, but also a growing up story of a culture. Reference: Wikipedia.

Astrid Lindgren was a force to be dealt with, as a supporter of women’s rights, battling against corporal punishment, and a proponent of humane treatment of animals.

Can Religion and Science Co-exist? — Published in Inch Magazine and posted by INEOS

The following statements from scientists is revealing. As you read them try to get a sense of openness, or narrowness. Religion (done right) promotes openness. Also, look for signs of indignation.

“Science without religion is lame, and religion without science is blind.” — Albert Einstein

“Science concerns the processes that account for the natural world: how planets move, the composition of matter and the atmosphere, the origin and adaptations of organisms. Religion concerns the meaning and purpose of the world and of human life, the proper relation of people to the Creator and to each other, the moral values that inspire and govern people’s lives.”
— Francisco Ayala, biologist, University of California, Irvine

Comment: A statement of “separate” but equal.

“Science is based on the religious assertion that Creation is orderly, free from the interference of nature gods, and worthy of study. So who continues to push this myth of a ‘conflict?’ What is their agenda?”
— Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, astronomer at the Vatican Observatory

Comment: A statement of “they are one and the same.”

“The scientific method is proven by its success. The religious method is refuted by its failure.”
— Victor J. Stenger, Emeritus Professor of Physics, University of Hawaii

Comment: A bit of indignation.

“Personally I’m not religious at all, but I have religious scientists as friends and they seem to manage just fine.”
— Grant Kennedy, astrophysicist, University of Cambridge

Comment: A statement of tolerance.

Religion is flawed, but only because man is flawed. Science tells me God must exist. My mind tells me I will never understand God. And my heart tells me I am not meant to.
— Dan Brown, author of Angels & Demons

Comment: Man is flawed, thus religion is flawed. But he didn’t complete the thought. However, I am not flawed, thus science is not flawed, and my thoughts are not flawed.

“So are our emotions in the presence of great art or music or literature, or acts of exemplary selfless courage such as those of Mohandas Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr. The notion that science and spirituality are somehow mutually exclusive does a disservice to both.”
— The late Carl Sagan, American astrophysicist

Comment: Science and religion are compatible sources of awe and wonder.

“From religion comes a man’s purpose; from science, his power to achieve it.”
— The late William H. Bragg, British physicist.

Comment: Religion and Science are complementary pairs of purpose and power.

“In the face of…uncontradicted evidence, religious belief in a divinity is no more viable than belief in the now-proverbial Flying Spaghetti Monster.”
— Lorna Salzman, American environmental activist.

Comment: A bit of indignation.

When you look at the vast size of the universe, and how insignificant and accidental human life is in it, the existence of a God seems most implausible.
— Physicist Stephen Hawking

Comment: From the Hawking perspective, the universe and even human life are the result of series of random accidents, thus there is no purpose, and no need for God.

Concerning the the late William H. Bragg, quote, I left out his punch line: “Sometimes people ask if religion and science are not opposed to one another. They are: in the sense that the thumb and fingers of my hands are opposed to one another. It is an opposition by means of which anything can be grasped.”

“When most people think of ethics (or morals), they think of rules for distinguishing between right and wrong, such as the Golden Rule (“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”), a code of professional conduct like the Hippocratic Oath (“First of all, do no harm”), a religious creed like the Ten Commandments (“Thou Shalt not kill…”), or wise aphorisms like the sayings of Confucius. This is the most common way of defining “ethics”: norms for conduct that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behavior.”

Reference: A National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences article, “What is Ethics in Research & Why is it Important?,”by David B. Resnik, J.D., Ph.D. The opening paragraph of the article:

If you want to check out the whole series, the links are here.

• Part one: Is the brand “Christian” in decline?
• Part two: A short history of the Christian church.
• Part three: Is religion helping or harming us?
• Part four: Is Christianity’s Decline a Bad Thing for America?
• Part five: Is Christianity’s Decline a Wash for America?
• Part six: Should American Christians be Alarmed by this Decline?
• Part seven: Does Christianity Need to be the Dominant American Religion?
• Part eight: Tying up Loose Ends.
• Third Way Thinking: Embracing Unity of Opposites

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Thanks,

Gary L. Engstrom, author, Living the Beatitudes: The Way to a Most Excellent Life.

Next Session: Tying up Loose Ends